Friday, 18 March 2016

Engineering student arrested for ‘IS links’ in Durgapur, Bengal

Engineering student arrested for ‘IS links’ in Durgapur, Bengal

THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a
19-year-old student of mechanical engineering in Durgapur in connection
with its case against the Islamic State (IS).

A resident of Hooghly, Ashiq Ahmed was arrested by the agency after
several days of questioning. He is alleged to be part of the
Junud-al-Khilafa-e-Hind (JKH), a self-appointed IS “franchise” run on
the directions of former Indian Mujahideen operative Shafi Armar.

According to NIA sources, Ahmed was not only in touch with various
members of the group — 20 of them are already in NIA custody — but was
also planning to kill a Trinamool Congress MLA who is suspected to be involved in the murder of a Muslim political rival.

Sources said Ahmed came in contact with Mohammed Nafees Khan, finance
chief of JKH, while surfing jihadi videos over the internet. Khan, who
is currently under arrest, reportedly met Ahmed in Kolkata and got him
appointed as the chief of JKH’s Bengal unit.

“Ahmed took Khan around Kolkata to identify vital installations that
could be targeted by JKH. Ahmed also expressed his intention to target a
TMC MLA for the murder of a Muslim political rival. However, all these
plans were still at a nascent stage,” said an NIA officer.

NIA sources said Ahmed, the son of a farmer, was good in studies. The
lure of IS pulled him into jihadi chat forums over the internet in the
past one year, said sources. This is how he met Khan and several other members.

“On instructions from Khan, Ahmed also got in touch with five youths
in West Bengal and was motivating them to join jihadi activity,” said an
NIA officer.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has handed over the cases of suspected
IS operatives in custody of Delhi Police and Maharashtra ATS to the NIA.
Since all the accused were part of the same group, a decision was taken
to hand over the cases to NIA, which has registered an “open FIR”
against the IS.
“The agency will soon take custody of the accused with the two police forces,” said an MHA official.

Among IS arrests, youth in love who wanted plastic surgery

A 19-year-old student of mechanical engineering arrested by the
National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed that he wanted to travel
to Afghanistan to cultivate poppy so that he could make money for
plastic surgery to change his appearance and be with the girl he loved.
Ashiq Ahmed is among the 18 men arrested by the NIA since December 2015 for alleged links to the Islamic State
(IS). Ashiq has told investigators that he also wanted to convert
because the girl, a Hindu, had made it clear that she would not be able
to cast aside either her religion or her family for him.

Ashiq’s confessional statement, recorded under section 164 of the
CrPC by a judge, along with statements given by Bengaluru-based Mohammed
Abdul Ahad, 46, and Mohammed Afzal, 35, both of whom were arrested on
January 22, will form a crucial part of the NIA’s chargesheets in the
case, The Indian Express has learnt.

The NIA has also gathered electronic evidence in the form of chats. These too will be cited in the chargesheets.
In his confession, Ashiq, a resident of Hooghly in West Bengal, is
learnt to have said: “When I was studying in Class 11 and 12, I had an
affair with a girl (name withheld). I loved her with all my heart. One
of my friends (name withheld) was also in love with the same girl, and
had also proposed to her. I even had a fight with my friend over this.
“My friend then informed the girl’s family about it. Her father came
to our school and created a ruckus. After this, she broke off our
relationship. She told me that she could not leave her religion or her
people for me. I then thought I would undergo plastic surgery, change my
name and convert my faith and face the girl’s family. For this, I
decided to go to Afghanistan and earn money through opium cultivation.
“I visited a fair near the Iranian Dargah and bought a book on Imam
Mahdi (the prophesied redeemer of Islam). It said he would come from
Afghanistan and Khorasan. It said that he would be the ultimate Khalifa
(leader of the Caliphate) and would end all injustice. I then began
searching for more on this, and for this I started searching about
Afghanistan and Khorasan. During these searches, I also came across
speeches of Masood Azhar (chief of Pakistan-based terror group
Jaish-e-Mohammed).
“The book said that the Imam Mahdi would have a black flag. In
searches, I saw that that a large number of organisations had black
flags. I created a Facebook
ID under the name Ashik Pathan, and added a man based in Afghanistan. I
chatted with him about Afghanistan, and he told me that Pakistan and
Iran were its enemies. I even thought I would join AIMIM through this
ID, but didn’t do so as I didn’t get any support,” he said.
Ashiq is learnt to have added: “I then created an ID under the name
Mujahid Islam, and through this, in March 2015, I came into contact with
Mohammed Zahid, who said he stayed in UP. He said Muslims are being
subjected to atrocities. He said we should unite and carry out jehad.”
Ashiq has also said he was put it touch with Ahmad Ali of Ansar ul
Tawhid fi Bilad al Hind (AuT), an alleged India-specific terror group
that has pledged allegiance to the IS.
Among the transcripts of messages shared by the accused on various
platforms are chats from “Yusuf al Hindi”, believed to be the former
Indian Mujahideen operative Shafi Armar. Armar, who belongs to Bhatkal
in Karnataka, is alleged to be the Syria-based handler of the local IS
affiliate Junood al Khilafa e Hind, floated by the arrested men.Consider these:
* At 11:59 am on September 25 last year, Mohammed Naseer, a
23-year-old computer engineer from Tamil Nadu, allegedly sent a text
message from Sudan to his father in Dubai: “Assalamu Alaikum
Warahmatullahi Wabaralathu. Pray for me, for I will never forget you in
my prayer and it’s my hope and prayer that we meet again if not in this
world then in jannah (Paradise). I love you all. May Allah grant us
understanding and guide us all to the straight path. I have reached to
the Islamic State (IS). I know it might sound kind of crazy for you but
your son really had to take this bold step to get out of the corrupt
system which has democracy first on its list. There is no comeback, my
father. Don’t go to police as they will torture you and they cannot find
me. May Allah bless you with guidance, hijrah and jannah.”
Naseer was deported to India from Sudan on December 10 last year,
while allegedly attempting to go to Libya to join the IS. He allegedly
stayed at a safe house in Khartoum from September 25 to October 5, 2015,
and underwent a preliminary IS training course. After Indian agencies
informed Sudan’s government about Naseer’s presence, the information was
verified by local authorities, and he was detained on October 5.
* On May 10, 2015, Naseer sent an e-mail to a relative: “Take care of
mom and I’m very safe here. What you see in news is just propaganda.
Life here is wonderful. I want you all to come to Dawlah. I will be
always in contact. Soon I will give you a number to contact me. If it
takes two or three days in replying you, don’t worry. I will be always
in contact. You all are in duas always.”
* In a Skype chat with Mohammed Nafees Khan, 24, arrested from
Hyderabad on January 22, Yousuf al Hindi allegedly said: “The world
should not be ruled by the laws made by human being, on the country
(sic), we ruled by the sharia law.”
* In another Skype chat, Yousuf Al Hindi allegedly passed on a link to Nafees Khan: “Bomb banane ka asaan tarika”.
* In a Skype chat with Mudabbir Mushtaq Sheikh, arrested from Mumbra
on January 22, Yousuf al Hindi instructed: “Learn to make timer by the
use of mobile phone”. He also allegedly wanted to send money for zakaat.

After the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in February this
year, the Islamic State reportedly wanted to take the advantage of the
situation and had asked its recruits to infiltrate the stir by burning
vehicles.

According to a Times of India
report, when Kanhaiya was arrested on sedition charges, ISIS' Ahmad Ali
had reportedly asked 19-year-old Ashiq Ahmad alias Raja of Hooghly, to
infiltrate the student movement and burn vehicles and oil tankers using
petrol.

The report cited the information to statements made under Section 164 of
CrPC by recruits of India's ISIS wing recruit — Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind
(JKH). The NIA has reportedly recorded the statements of three recruits
- Ashiq Ahmad alias Raja, Mohammad Abdul Ahad and Mohammad Afzal. They
said they were asked to agitate the students further and create disorder
in the country.

In a statement, one of the recruits, Ashiq said that Ahmed Ali, who
claimed to head the Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind (AuT), contacted
him on February 19 through his ID on the Trillion app. Some 14 members
of the IS had been caught by the NIA by this time. The report quotes
Ashiq as saying, "He told me that agencies are keeping a tab on us. He
told me that a student movement is happening in the country and that we
should enter and put vehicles, oil tankers on fire."
It is suspected that Ali is none other than Shafi Armar, the head of
ISIS in India who is learnt to have died in a recent US drone attack,
the report added.

Ashiq was caught by the NIA on February 22. AuT is connected to ISIS and
the outfit opened JKH in India and planned to have a unit in every
state, as claimed by another recruit Ahad.

ISIS India recruits: A techie, a businessman and a 'heartbroken' teen

Recent media reports claimed that
Islamic State (ISIS) recruits in India wanted to wreak havoc in the
country taking advantage of the student movement that broke out in
several cities after the arrest of JNU student union president Kanhaiya
Kumar.
Three ISIS recruits were handed over the job to use the
students' stir to create further trouble. The sinister plan was revealed
by the three ISIS operatives - Mohammad Abdul Ahad, Mohammad Afzal and
Ashiq Ahmad alias Raja.
But details about the background of these terror recruits will shock you even more.Mohammed Abdul Ahad: The guy who wanted to help poor
Ahad,
46, has a masters degree in Science from US. He has worked in US,
Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Ahad always wanted to help the poor
belonging to his community and was involved in philanthropy through the
web. But the door to ISIS opened for him when he went for a meet of
'mujahids' in Tumakuru, Karnataka. The meeting he thought would be on
Zakat or tax for poor. But Ahad soon found out that he was wrong.
It was after several rounds of meeting, the real structure of ISIS emerged and Ahad realised the main agenda of his 'managers'.
ISIS'
India wing - Junud al Khalifa-e-Hind (JKH) was looking to expand its
team and have more people on board. There was need for an Amer and a
second in command and his own team. But Mohammed Abdul Ahad was not
happy with the fact that poor were not being helped, investigators said.Mohammad Afzal: The techie
Mohammed
Afzal, 35, did his diploma in electrical and electronics engineerng
from IHS, Bengaluru. Afzal got in touch with a Mujahid and went to
Tumakuru to attend a gathering where he met Ahad and other set of
youngsters. But he soon realised that something was wrong.
Afzal told the investigators that he broke away from the ISIS on the pretext that he has family and business to look after. Ashik Ahmed: The 'loverboy'
Ashik Ahmed's story is the most interesting of the lot. The 19-year-old fell in love with a Hindu girl.
However,
the girl as well as her family rejected him. Dejected, Ashik decided to
join ISIS. He soon won the trust of top ISIS handler Shafi Armar. But
his arrest earlier this year, nipped his rise within ranks of ISIS.(The
report is based on the statements of the three recruits recorded by the
NIA under Section 164 of CRPC. This will be an important part of the
NIA chargesheet.)